Kansas State University Athletics
‘It’s Time to Roll’
Aug 29, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
A week has passed since No. 17 Kansas State took an eight-hour flight to Dublin, Ireland, and fell just short amid dreary weather in a 24-21 nailbiter to No. 22 Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic last Saturday to kick off the 2025 college football season.
On Monday, the K-State weight room and indoor practice facility were quiet, as the Wildcats spent the day recouping from their long trip back to Manhattan.
K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team came off a 9-4 season capped by a win in the 2024 Rate Bowl, dissected the initial performance in the 2025 season opener, and indicated a directive of sorts to fans and cynics alike going forward.
Don't sleep on K-State.
"Guys are really disappointed we didn't win, but we saw some really good things on both sides of the ball," Klieman said. "We have a chance to be a really good football team."
K-State, 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference, faces FCS member North Dakota, 0-0, for the first time in history in the Wildcats' home opener at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The last time K-State fell to an FCS opponent came in the 2013 season opener against North Dakota State — a team that had Klieman on staff.
Now Klieman in his seventh season owns the second-most victories in K-State history.
And Klieman believes that K-State, which is one of 10 Power 4 schools to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, is aptly prepared to face first-year head coach Eric Schmidt and North Dakota — a team that Klieman faced in 2014 when he was head coach at North Dakota State.
"We have this opportunity and for a lot of our seniors this is their last home opener, and I also know we're going to face a really good, physical, disciplined team that's going to give us their all," Klieman said. "We need to make some strides. You usually can make up some ground from game one to game two. Our guys who played for the first time, they're veterans now.
"It's time to roll."
North Dakota, which went 5-7 and finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season, hired alum Eric Schmidt on December 8 after one year as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at San Diego State. Schmidt also previously spent two years at Washington and two seasons at Fresno State. Schmidt, a native of Mandan, North Dakota, served as North Dakota defensive coordinator for the Fighting Hawks from 2014-19. His first collegiate job was as linebackers coach at North Dakota from 2006-07.
Schmidt replaced Bubba Schweigert, who took an administrative role after posting 66 wins, two conference titles, five postseason appearances, and coaching 16 All-Americans and seven players that advanced to the professional ranks in his 11-year tenure.
"I know Smitty pretty well," Klieman said. "He's a great coach. He's a UND guy. When they hired Smitty, I knew that was the right hire. You can't be in that area and not have somebody really familiar. He'll put his own stamp on it. One thing you know is you're going to have tight ends, linebackers, offensive line and defensive line — tough dudes who are physical farm kids who never will back down."
Schmidt has already put his thumbprint on the North Dakota program. He has installed a 4-2-5 defensive setup, changing from the 3-4 base defensive package used by the Fighting Hawks for more than 30 years.
Schmidt named Jerry Kaminski the starting quarterback for Saturday after he completed 4-of-5 passes for 28 yards in three games last season. Schmidt suggested that he may utilize multiple quarterbacks against the Wildcats. That could either be Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson, a transfer from San Diego State, or Simon Romfo, who threw for 2,051 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions while starting all 12 games for North Dakota last season.
"We felt like we needed to improve at that position and felt that if we wanted to get to where we want to get to at the top of this league and to the championships that this position needed to continue to get better," Schmidt said. "During the last week of training camp, Jerry really took another step in his development leading our offense."
K-State quarterback Avery Johnson continues to take steps as well.
Johnson, in the first start of his second year as a full-time starter, fought through heavy rain in the first quarter before fully going to work the remainder of the contest against the Cyclones. He recorded the second-highest pass efficiency rating (168.4) and highest completion percentage (70%) of his career, as he threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yarder, and rushed for another score.
Johnson's pass efficiency rating was the second highest in the FBS last Saturday.
"Take out the first quarter when nobody could get a grip on the football, and he was razor sharp," Klieman said.
Unfortunately, one of Johnson's oldest and best friends, junior running back Dylan Edwards, whose sharp moves led to 196 rushing yards in the Rate Bowl, went down to injury on a punt-return attempt before K-State ran a single play from scrimmage against Iowa State.
Klieman is unsure when Edwards might return, but the apparent injury to his lower left leg/ankle left the Wildcats and first-year offensive coordinator Matt Wells mightily adjusting their offensive game plan from the start against the Cyclones.
"I don't know how long it's going to be, I really don't," Klieman said. "It was unfortunate he got injured on the punt. We had a huge game plan ready and set for him. Matt Wells and the offensive staff did a tremendous job pivoting when one of your top playmakers went down without an offensive play yet and found different ways to move the football. He's an explosive guy, and I love Dylan. He'll be back without a doubt, but it was just unfortunate. I don't really have a timetable other than it's not going to be this week.
"Especially with how he ended the season and to have that kind of explosive game and to be all fired up about the opportunity to be the everyday guy that's going to get 20 touches and he doesn't get any? That's hard. We started the season with a game that's on the national stage with everyone watching us against a great opponent, and he didn't get to compete with his teammates."
Sophomore Joe Jackson and redshirt freshman DeVon Rice handled the running back position in Edwards' absence.
"They did a really good job considering we were trying to get maybe 25 plays out of Joe Jackson and 10 plays out of DeVon Rice, and they ended up getting 60 plays and 30 plays," Klieman said. "They both played well. Joe was running hard. DeVon, for his first real game activity and on that stage, he ran the ball a couple times really well. All of that is going to help him. With Dylan potentially down for a little bit, those two guys are going to continue. It might also give (redshirt freshman running back) JB Price an opportunity."
K-State was solid along an offensive line that featured a few new faces, and tight end Garrett Oakley was brilliant with five catches for 62 yards. But there was a noticeable absence on the playing field as true freshman tight end Linkon Cure, the No. 1-rated high school tight end in the Class of 2025 and highest-rated signee in K-State history, was inactive due to an injury that he sustained early in preseason camp.
"He's a tremendous athlete with a bright, bright future," Klieman said. "It's unfortunate Linkon has been hurt since late in July, so we haven't seen what we all know we're going to see. Linkon wants to be out there in the worst way. He's just not ready yet. He's going to be back, whether that's in two weeks or three weeks, I don't know, but he's practicing on a limited basis now. We need to be smart and make sure he's healthy. I'm pretty positive he'll help us this year."
K-State's passing attack struck with immediacy after the rain-soaked first quarter. New wide receiver Jaron Tibbs had four catches for 35 yards, and new wide receiver Jerand Bradley had three catches for 75 yards with a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown. They proved to be the perfect complement to returning junior Jayce Brown, who had four catches for 78 yards and one touchdown, and added two carries for 29 yards.
"It's fun to have those guys," Klieman said. "It makes Jayce's world a little bit more open without a doubt. I'm excited because Tibbs made a couple catches, and then Jerand makes a huge touchdown catch. You saw the size, athleticism and speed of those guys. With those three receivers being as dynamic as they are, we have guys to spin the ball to."
As soon as Tibbs and Bradley arrived in Manhattan, Johnson began developing chemistry with them along with their fellow incoming pass catchers eager to help the Wildcats this season. The chemistry seemingly only grew during training camp.
When Johnson wasn't taking reps at quarterback, Jacob Knuth, Dillon Duff and Blake Barnett were working on their own consistency as the potential backup quarterback. There's the possibility that one or more of those quarterbacks could see some action against North Dakota on Saturday. Who will it be? That remains unclear.
"All three guys are taking equal reps," Klieman said. "Coach Wells and I talk about it an awful lot. Sooner or later, we're going to have to decide who we put in next, but we're really not ready to answer that question yet because it's an ongoing evaluation."
Wells seemed generally pleased with the execution of his offense in his first game as offensive coordinator, indicating that there were a few plays that he'd like back, while at the same time championing the efforts of a unit that had no luxury of a dress rehearsal prior to facing Iowa State.
"We're explosive and we showed capabilities of being explosive, especially in the passing game," Wells said. "In the running game, we had some shorter runs and can do a better job blocking on the perimeter, and that'll help us become more explosive. That's the biggest thing I'd hoped for. and that we'd seen in training camp, and some of that came to fruition."
As for what Wells would like to see against North Dakota?
"I want to see maturity in terms of how we're preparing for this game," he said, "and when we go out and the lights turn on and there's 22 guys on the field that we're operating at a high level."
K-State debuted its 4-man defensive front in its season opener — a move that defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said was made because of the talent and numbers at the defensive line positions. He said that "protection beats coverage" and illustrated that in past years K-State might rush three defenders with effective coverage in the back end, but a lack of consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback could cause K-State defensive backs – no matter how good – to eventually breakdown in coverage. Klanderman sought a solution to better eliminate consistent pressure on his defensive backs. His solution?
"It was about finding more 'zone' answers while rushing four with good people that can win in those situations," Klanderman said. "All that stuff was going through my head as early as last season. I think this will give us the flexibility to do more things coverage wise."
New starting sophomore cornerbacks Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh apparently held their own for the most part during their first significant action for the Wildcats.
"Zashon Rich might be one of the best corners in the country, and he continues to get better and better," Klieman said, "and Donnie is getting so much more confident and comfortable."
Another name to watch? 6-foot-1, 213-pound true freshman free safety Logan Bartley. He made two tackles while playing 15 snaps.
"Logan is just getting his feet, wet and he's going to play more and more," Klieman said. "He's a special, special talent and for a freshman is mature beyond his years. The game isn't too big for him. I can't wait to see that kid as he plays more and more."
If there was a defensive MVP in Week 0, it was likely junior defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi, a 6-foot-3, 250-pounder who collected a career-high two sacks.
"Tobi is such an explosive athlete," Klanderman said. "We always knew he'd be a really big factor in the pass game. He was a really good defender, too. He was getting knock back and playing on their line of scrimmage, getting the rock, getting off blocks, and was very disruptive. That's what we expected of him."
Klanderman's defenses have been tried and true. K-State has allowed 21.8 points per game over the last four seasons, which ranks 17th among Power 4 teams, while also forcing 62 turnovers over the last three seasons, which is most in the Big 12.
"We have a competitive group of guys, and we're going to get a lot better," Klanderman said. "There are a lot of young guys who got some really good experience in a competitive game. We just have to make plays in the big moments.
"When the moment is on us, we have to be at our best."
A moment will arrive on Saturday when K-State players will jog out of the tunnel at Bill Snyder Family Stadium — many for the first time. And what a moment that might be.
"When I run out of our stadium, just seeing the fans and everything, looking up there, I'll probably feel a little overwhelmed, but it'll feel good, for sure," said safety Qua Moss, a junior transfer from the University of West Georgia. "To see that many people, it'll be crazy."
It's home sweet home for the Wildcats.
On Saturday, they plan to be at their best.
A week has passed since No. 17 Kansas State took an eight-hour flight to Dublin, Ireland, and fell just short amid dreary weather in a 24-21 nailbiter to No. 22 Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic last Saturday to kick off the 2025 college football season.
On Monday, the K-State weight room and indoor practice facility were quiet, as the Wildcats spent the day recouping from their long trip back to Manhattan.
K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team came off a 9-4 season capped by a win in the 2024 Rate Bowl, dissected the initial performance in the 2025 season opener, and indicated a directive of sorts to fans and cynics alike going forward.
Don't sleep on K-State.
"Guys are really disappointed we didn't win, but we saw some really good things on both sides of the ball," Klieman said. "We have a chance to be a really good football team."
K-State, 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference, faces FCS member North Dakota, 0-0, for the first time in history in the Wildcats' home opener at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The last time K-State fell to an FCS opponent came in the 2013 season opener against North Dakota State — a team that had Klieman on staff.
Now Klieman in his seventh season owns the second-most victories in K-State history.
And Klieman believes that K-State, which is one of 10 Power 4 schools to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, is aptly prepared to face first-year head coach Eric Schmidt and North Dakota — a team that Klieman faced in 2014 when he was head coach at North Dakota State.
"We have this opportunity and for a lot of our seniors this is their last home opener, and I also know we're going to face a really good, physical, disciplined team that's going to give us their all," Klieman said. "We need to make some strides. You usually can make up some ground from game one to game two. Our guys who played for the first time, they're veterans now.
"It's time to roll."
North Dakota, which went 5-7 and finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season, hired alum Eric Schmidt on December 8 after one year as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at San Diego State. Schmidt also previously spent two years at Washington and two seasons at Fresno State. Schmidt, a native of Mandan, North Dakota, served as North Dakota defensive coordinator for the Fighting Hawks from 2014-19. His first collegiate job was as linebackers coach at North Dakota from 2006-07.
Schmidt replaced Bubba Schweigert, who took an administrative role after posting 66 wins, two conference titles, five postseason appearances, and coaching 16 All-Americans and seven players that advanced to the professional ranks in his 11-year tenure.
"I know Smitty pretty well," Klieman said. "He's a great coach. He's a UND guy. When they hired Smitty, I knew that was the right hire. You can't be in that area and not have somebody really familiar. He'll put his own stamp on it. One thing you know is you're going to have tight ends, linebackers, offensive line and defensive line — tough dudes who are physical farm kids who never will back down."
Schmidt has already put his thumbprint on the North Dakota program. He has installed a 4-2-5 defensive setup, changing from the 3-4 base defensive package used by the Fighting Hawks for more than 30 years.
Schmidt named Jerry Kaminski the starting quarterback for Saturday after he completed 4-of-5 passes for 28 yards in three games last season. Schmidt suggested that he may utilize multiple quarterbacks against the Wildcats. That could either be Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson, a transfer from San Diego State, or Simon Romfo, who threw for 2,051 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions while starting all 12 games for North Dakota last season.
"We felt like we needed to improve at that position and felt that if we wanted to get to where we want to get to at the top of this league and to the championships that this position needed to continue to get better," Schmidt said. "During the last week of training camp, Jerry really took another step in his development leading our offense."
K-State quarterback Avery Johnson continues to take steps as well.
Johnson, in the first start of his second year as a full-time starter, fought through heavy rain in the first quarter before fully going to work the remainder of the contest against the Cyclones. He recorded the second-highest pass efficiency rating (168.4) and highest completion percentage (70%) of his career, as he threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yarder, and rushed for another score.
Johnson's pass efficiency rating was the second highest in the FBS last Saturday.
"Take out the first quarter when nobody could get a grip on the football, and he was razor sharp," Klieman said.
Unfortunately, one of Johnson's oldest and best friends, junior running back Dylan Edwards, whose sharp moves led to 196 rushing yards in the Rate Bowl, went down to injury on a punt-return attempt before K-State ran a single play from scrimmage against Iowa State.
Klieman is unsure when Edwards might return, but the apparent injury to his lower left leg/ankle left the Wildcats and first-year offensive coordinator Matt Wells mightily adjusting their offensive game plan from the start against the Cyclones.
"I don't know how long it's going to be, I really don't," Klieman said. "It was unfortunate he got injured on the punt. We had a huge game plan ready and set for him. Matt Wells and the offensive staff did a tremendous job pivoting when one of your top playmakers went down without an offensive play yet and found different ways to move the football. He's an explosive guy, and I love Dylan. He'll be back without a doubt, but it was just unfortunate. I don't really have a timetable other than it's not going to be this week.
"Especially with how he ended the season and to have that kind of explosive game and to be all fired up about the opportunity to be the everyday guy that's going to get 20 touches and he doesn't get any? That's hard. We started the season with a game that's on the national stage with everyone watching us against a great opponent, and he didn't get to compete with his teammates."
Sophomore Joe Jackson and redshirt freshman DeVon Rice handled the running back position in Edwards' absence.
"They did a really good job considering we were trying to get maybe 25 plays out of Joe Jackson and 10 plays out of DeVon Rice, and they ended up getting 60 plays and 30 plays," Klieman said. "They both played well. Joe was running hard. DeVon, for his first real game activity and on that stage, he ran the ball a couple times really well. All of that is going to help him. With Dylan potentially down for a little bit, those two guys are going to continue. It might also give (redshirt freshman running back) JB Price an opportunity."
K-State was solid along an offensive line that featured a few new faces, and tight end Garrett Oakley was brilliant with five catches for 62 yards. But there was a noticeable absence on the playing field as true freshman tight end Linkon Cure, the No. 1-rated high school tight end in the Class of 2025 and highest-rated signee in K-State history, was inactive due to an injury that he sustained early in preseason camp.
"He's a tremendous athlete with a bright, bright future," Klieman said. "It's unfortunate Linkon has been hurt since late in July, so we haven't seen what we all know we're going to see. Linkon wants to be out there in the worst way. He's just not ready yet. He's going to be back, whether that's in two weeks or three weeks, I don't know, but he's practicing on a limited basis now. We need to be smart and make sure he's healthy. I'm pretty positive he'll help us this year."
K-State's passing attack struck with immediacy after the rain-soaked first quarter. New wide receiver Jaron Tibbs had four catches for 35 yards, and new wide receiver Jerand Bradley had three catches for 75 yards with a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown. They proved to be the perfect complement to returning junior Jayce Brown, who had four catches for 78 yards and one touchdown, and added two carries for 29 yards.
"It's fun to have those guys," Klieman said. "It makes Jayce's world a little bit more open without a doubt. I'm excited because Tibbs made a couple catches, and then Jerand makes a huge touchdown catch. You saw the size, athleticism and speed of those guys. With those three receivers being as dynamic as they are, we have guys to spin the ball to."
As soon as Tibbs and Bradley arrived in Manhattan, Johnson began developing chemistry with them along with their fellow incoming pass catchers eager to help the Wildcats this season. The chemistry seemingly only grew during training camp.
When Johnson wasn't taking reps at quarterback, Jacob Knuth, Dillon Duff and Blake Barnett were working on their own consistency as the potential backup quarterback. There's the possibility that one or more of those quarterbacks could see some action against North Dakota on Saturday. Who will it be? That remains unclear.
"All three guys are taking equal reps," Klieman said. "Coach Wells and I talk about it an awful lot. Sooner or later, we're going to have to decide who we put in next, but we're really not ready to answer that question yet because it's an ongoing evaluation."
Wells seemed generally pleased with the execution of his offense in his first game as offensive coordinator, indicating that there were a few plays that he'd like back, while at the same time championing the efforts of a unit that had no luxury of a dress rehearsal prior to facing Iowa State.
"We're explosive and we showed capabilities of being explosive, especially in the passing game," Wells said. "In the running game, we had some shorter runs and can do a better job blocking on the perimeter, and that'll help us become more explosive. That's the biggest thing I'd hoped for. and that we'd seen in training camp, and some of that came to fruition."
As for what Wells would like to see against North Dakota?
"I want to see maturity in terms of how we're preparing for this game," he said, "and when we go out and the lights turn on and there's 22 guys on the field that we're operating at a high level."
K-State debuted its 4-man defensive front in its season opener — a move that defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said was made because of the talent and numbers at the defensive line positions. He said that "protection beats coverage" and illustrated that in past years K-State might rush three defenders with effective coverage in the back end, but a lack of consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback could cause K-State defensive backs – no matter how good – to eventually breakdown in coverage. Klanderman sought a solution to better eliminate consistent pressure on his defensive backs. His solution?
"It was about finding more 'zone' answers while rushing four with good people that can win in those situations," Klanderman said. "All that stuff was going through my head as early as last season. I think this will give us the flexibility to do more things coverage wise."
New starting sophomore cornerbacks Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh apparently held their own for the most part during their first significant action for the Wildcats.
"Zashon Rich might be one of the best corners in the country, and he continues to get better and better," Klieman said, "and Donnie is getting so much more confident and comfortable."
Another name to watch? 6-foot-1, 213-pound true freshman free safety Logan Bartley. He made two tackles while playing 15 snaps.
"Logan is just getting his feet, wet and he's going to play more and more," Klieman said. "He's a special, special talent and for a freshman is mature beyond his years. The game isn't too big for him. I can't wait to see that kid as he plays more and more."
If there was a defensive MVP in Week 0, it was likely junior defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi, a 6-foot-3, 250-pounder who collected a career-high two sacks.
"Tobi is such an explosive athlete," Klanderman said. "We always knew he'd be a really big factor in the pass game. He was a really good defender, too. He was getting knock back and playing on their line of scrimmage, getting the rock, getting off blocks, and was very disruptive. That's what we expected of him."
Klanderman's defenses have been tried and true. K-State has allowed 21.8 points per game over the last four seasons, which ranks 17th among Power 4 teams, while also forcing 62 turnovers over the last three seasons, which is most in the Big 12.
"We have a competitive group of guys, and we're going to get a lot better," Klanderman said. "There are a lot of young guys who got some really good experience in a competitive game. We just have to make plays in the big moments.
"When the moment is on us, we have to be at our best."
A moment will arrive on Saturday when K-State players will jog out of the tunnel at Bill Snyder Family Stadium — many for the first time. And what a moment that might be.
"When I run out of our stadium, just seeing the fans and everything, looking up there, I'll probably feel a little overwhelmed, but it'll feel good, for sure," said safety Qua Moss, a junior transfer from the University of West Georgia. "To see that many people, it'll be crazy."
It's home sweet home for the Wildcats.
On Saturday, they plan to be at their best.
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